CHAPTER 89

CHAPTER 89

— TELL ME, FERNANDO, which is the direction of the waters of the Tiber — asked Greg already inside the car.

Fernando was surprised.

— Why, Greg! It runs from North to South.

— Perfect — concluded Greg.

— So, do you agree with me that if this young man's body were thrown into the waters near Castel Sant'Angelo, it could easily reach, as it did, the vicinity of the island of Isola Tiberina?

— Yes — confirmed the Agent — that would be possible — but where are you going with that?

— See, this guy found dead was my partner, an Interpol agent named Pietro Ferri.

— Wait a minute... did you already know him?

— That's what I thought, but apparently I was wrong, as we were presumed dead during an investigation, but apparently someone is setting up a backdrop for a theater bigger than we imagined.

— Furthermore, he is, nothing less, than the nephew of a cardinal who disputed with Joseph Messina the appointment of Secretary General of the Vatican.

— Really, this is weird!

— What was an Italian army officer in a special operations uniform doing, posing as an Interpol agent?

— From what we can deduce, in the immediate vicinity of the Vatican?

— Extremely suspicious!

— Another question: let us imagine the hypothesis that his uncle, also a cardinal, was a member of the Brotherhood of the Serpent, having disputed and lost the position of General Secretary of the Vatican to Joseph Messina. What would happen if the latter died?

— Indeed, Greg, that would be a great triumph for the Serpent Brotherhood.

— Yes, if one of the Brotherhood of the Serpent could occupy the General Secretariat of the Vatican he would be in a prominent position, influencing the entire Catholic world, it would be as if the Brotherhood of the Serpent also had its own Trojan Horse.

— They would then be in a very privileged condition for the establishment of their plans!

— Exactly! There are many respected people, including entities within the Catholic world itself, who believe that the Second Vatican Council suffered very strong satanic influences. It was never disclosed to the world which forces these would be. We can now believe that these forces were the Brotherhood of the Serpent.

— There is even an archbishop who was excommunicated for disagreeing with this council, a Marcel Lefèvre...

— That's not all, there are even greater suspicions that these same forces would have killed a pope, John Paul I, because of some extremely serious denunciation he would make about his infiltration within the Vatican itself.

— So, if a cardinal linked to the Brotherhood of the Serpent were to assume the position of Secretary General of the Vatican, that secret society could wreak havoc on the Catholic world.

— More than that, Fernando, if they had such a position, could make this cardinal reach a projection never achieved before by a religious. At his request, some bankers linked to the Brotherhood of the Serpent, could forgive debts of poor countries, distribute free food to the poor of Africa and medicine to AIDS patients. This man could even become the next pope.

— A real wolf in sheep's clothing!

— More than that, he would be the true Pied Piper of Hamelin. The one who, through his charm, would lead humanity to embrace the doctrine of Lucifer.

— What are we going to do, Greg?

— I think it's a good time for us to visit Joseph Messina again.

— MR. EVANS, to what do I owe the honor of another visit?

— Your Eminence, I would like not to disturb you, but sad events force me to do so.

— All in the name of justice, right?

Greg nodded.

— I have a theory, Your Eminence, the Brotherhood of the Serpent tried to kill you.

Joseph Messina remained silent.

— This morning the body of a young man was found — said Greg, at the same moment that, looking at the Cardinal, he was looking for any sign of disturbance.

Messina however remained calm.

— His name was Emanuel Di Polli!

The Cardinal's face broke into a deep expression of pain and regret.

— Emanuel Di Polli? It can not be! Are you sure? Emanuel is the nephew of the Primate of Venice, Cardinal Domenico Di Polli. This is a real tragedy!

For a moment Gregory felt confused, not expecting that reaction.

Messina should trust him, after all, he had already confided so much about the Sisterhood of the Serpent.

— Your Eminence, we believe that at the behest of the Brotherhood of the Serpent, he lost his life precisely when trying to assassinate him!

Joseph Messina looked at him. Greg felt the deepest disbelief.

— This is nonsense, Detective! What you just said is a terrible thing. You are denigrating the image of one I knew well, as well as that of the Cardinal of Venice, the beloved Domenico Di Polli. None of them belong to the Brotherhood of the Serpent. A man so faithful to the Pope and the Church. You are committing a false accusation or, what is worse, an insult, a real mortal sin!

— I beg your pardon, Your Eminence, I thought...

— For do not think, Detective, this is complete nonsense! The Cardinal's face slowly calmed down. — I'm sorry! — You see, it is a very difficult situation, the nephew of a prince of the Church murdered, the Brotherhood of the Serpent advancing in the execution of their plans, in short, all this makes even me feel weakened.

— I see, Eminence, I truly believe your position is a very delicate one... As you said, the Brotherhood of the Serpent are advancing.

— What did you discover? — asked the Cardinal, showing curiosity.

Greg told you.

Joseph Messina listened attentively to the Detective's entire narrative.

— You certainly are the best policeman in the world — said Joseph Messina, when Greg concluded his narrative.

— Did you already know? — The Detective was surprised.

— Yes, my friend, the Vatican is aware of this.

Greg swallowed hard.

— You should have told me, we would have bought time.

— Time for what? What do you think you can do? Alert the authorities in your country?

— No, Eminence...

— Mr Evans, believe me, there really is nothing you can do about it.

— But... it was you yourself who charged me with trying to retrieve the Book of Destiny, who gave me information about the ex-Swiss Guard so I could find the boy's killer.

— It's true, Detective, I may have been too hasty. I feel guilty for involving him. The situation is far beyond your strength. You see, there really is nothing you can do.

— Are you asking me to drop the investigations?

— Don't take it that way, my son, I know your courage and your brilliant performance as a police officer in America, holder of the highest civilian and military honors. But understand, you are dealing with extremely powerful forces, interests that have been opposing the Church itself for centuries and that unfortunately are gaining ground. Believe me, I fear for your own safety.

— I CANNOT UNDERSTAND, Greg. Did Cardinal Messina decide to remove him from the investigations?

— That's what it looks like, the big question is: why what?

— If your theory is right and it is confirmed that the boy found dead had the mission to silence Joseph Messina, then it seems that the Brotherhood of the Serpent was successful.

— No, Fernando, I don't think the Brotherhood of the Serpent managed to frighten the Secretary General of the Vatican. There's another reason he wants me off the case, and that's one more thing we'll have to find out.

— As?

— I don't know yet, but maybe our answer is in Venice.

— Venice... are you saying we're going to Venice?

— Yes, but we will not go alone.